My Life Isn't Always Perfect
by ZivaKateAbby4Eva
Summary: Okay, this wasn't the full title, 'cause it wouldn't let me. But, on the acutal document it says the full thing. Anyhoo, this is about Esme and Carlisle and someone else. PLEASE READ
1. Chapter 1

_Okay, I know that I am also in the process of writing the two other stories for you guys, but I was reading some of them, and I knew that I like Twilight, so I'm doing a story with Esme, Emmy, and Carlisle. If you don't know who Emmy is, don't worry. She's a character two of my friends made up, and I'm still a little confused, but, I wanted to use her, so, yeah. Here is another story from moi! This is written in Esme's POV._

My life isn't always perfect, but sometimes, it can seem like it.

Read this story at your own risk. My big sister, Elizabeth Colleen Platt, said that if this pack of lies ever was told, she'd get my birthday officially canceled. And make me regret that I was ever born.

So I guess I'm going to be ten for a long time. And if you get caught reading this, she just might come after you. Beth says that she has everyone's address. (And she means **everyone.**) But this isn't a pack of lies. Lies are what caused this whole mess, and I swore when it was over, I'd never lie again. Not even to be polite. Not even under torture.

It looked like a regular Friday morning at my house where I live in Columbus, Ohio. But it just wasn't any old day. It was the day that my fourth-grade class was picking our Discovery Project partners for St. Dominic's annual Science Olympics. It was a decision that could make or break your whole year.

"Stop staring at me, you little freak!" Beth yelled in our bedroom, and wrapped her arms around her bony white shoulders.

"I wasn't staring." I lied. She'd been bragging to her best friend, Philomena Finch, that her breasts had doubled in size in just a week. Naturally, I was curious. Far as I could tell, all she was growing was a big fat story about them.

Beth glared daggers and pulled on an old undershirt. Ever since she turned twelve, she'd been very sensitive about me looking at her. Like all of a sudden her body is rated R, and I'm too young to see it.

Mom came to the door armed with a blow-dryer, curling iron, and the Look. It's the look she wears at the high school where she's coach. When she eyeballs you like that, it means you're about to get benched. Her players weren't the regional champions by accident. She worked them hard, but it paid off.

"Listen up, you two. If her any-more-yelling from this room today, you'll both be cleaning the garage tonight-do you hear me? Beth, you got that? Esme?"

"Yes ma'am." We said with two big sighs, and got busy making our beds. There was never any use arguing with Mom the first thing in the morning. She woke up as Coach Platt and didn't tolerate any funny business. She would usually turn back into the sorta nice mother after work. If she wasn't too tired from yelling and blowing her whistle all day.

I gave my comforter a final tug and set my pillow over the torn spot so Mom wouldn't see. It was just a worn-out tear, not an accident tear. Beth had one too, and I told her we weren't to tell Mom about it because we couldn't afford new ones, so don't even ask. If we could get new ones, we would definitely not be having any with bunnies on them like we do now.

Our whole room was Bunnyville USA. Mom had decorated back when we were little girls and we had a dad living with us and we had money. There were bunnies hopping all over the beds, even the pillows-and bunny wallpaper, bunnies riding bicycles across our closet doors, bunny throw rugs, and a very scary bunny night-light that made big giant ears and whiskers on our ceiling in the dark. Beth used to tell me that shadow was really the devil.

I sat down and tried to comb the curly knots out of my hair before Mom got her hands on it. She was about ready to cut it all off, but I promised her I'd take good care of it. I inherited a head full of curly caramel colored hair from my mom, and Beth got stick-straight white hair with matching white eyebrows. We don't know where she got it. (For the record, Beth is very pretty. But you didn't hear that from me.)

My sister went over to her secret stash in the closet that she didn't think I knew about. I stood up and walked over to the mirror across the room so I could spy on her better. This is a great trick that Beth hasn't even figured out. (I have a secret stash too, but nobody in the universe knows about it.) She pulled out some makeup, which she's not allowed to wear until ninth grade, and stuffed it into her pocket. I added to the mental list called, "Things Mom Doesn't Know (Yet!) About Beth." So far I have seven things on my list. And number three involved a boy and serious kissy face. When I got up to ten things, I was going to sell it to Beth.

An hour later, we holed up the bathroom. "You gotta fix it!" I screamed in my loudest whisper. "I look like a first grader!"

Mom did not approve of my hair this morning that I got from using Beth's full volume shampoo before going to bed with wet hair. I thought I fixed it kinda nice, but when Mom saw me at breakfast, she marched me to the bathroom and attacked it with Mother spit and a lot of barrettes.

Beth pulled out the bunny clips of my hair like a mean Mr. McGregor and tossed them aside. "Ow-ow-ouch!" I said.

"Esme, do you want me to fix it or not?"

"Yes! Just not so hard, okay?" Normally, Beth wouldn't come within two feet of me like this, except when it comes to my hair. Or anyone's hair for that matter. She's crazy for it. Besides becoming an astronaut, Beth is planning to become a hairstylist. She thinks it will give her an edge while applying for NASA. Wearing a space helmet all day gives you pretty squashed hair.

"What's that for?" I yelled when she squeezed a big blob of toothpaste into her hand. "Hey, you're NOT putting that on my hair!"

"Oh, just hush, Esme." She said, rubbing her palms together. "Hollywood stylists use it all the time." I tried to duck, but she nailed me in a headlock. She slicked back the tops and sides of my hair, sticking it to my skull. I closed my eyes and gave up until she finished. Trying to stop Beth was like trying to stop an earthquake, my grandpa always said, up until he died. "Sometimes, kid," he said, "it's better just to hang on and wait until it's over."

"There!" she said, adding some minty fresh spikes to my bangs. I looked into the mirror and tried to pull some hair back over my ears. She spanked my hand away. "Stop, you'll ruin it." She smoothed the hair back into place. "I don't know why you have to be sensitive about your ear. It's not that much bigger than the other one, really. It's just-" she broke off, studying me. "It's just it sticks out so much." She grinned, as a red flush crawled up my neck. "You know what Mom says-"

"I **know **what Mom says." I yelled, shoving Beth out of the bathroom. "It means I'm a world-class-listener." I slammed the door in her face.

Beth went on outside the door, mimicking Mom's voice. "God doesn't make mistakes. If he chose to point one of your ears out, then it must mean you're destined to be a great listener-maybe a psychiatrist, or even a spy!"

"Elizabeth Platt, get away from that door right now and get ready for school." Mom shouted up the stairs.

I locked the door and sighed hard. I'd never get a good partner for Discovery Project looking like this. I pulled a baseball cap from the back of the bathroom door and tried to stuff my hair under it. I didn't want Mom to see it before I left the house. She'd probably make me stop and wash it, and then Beth would get into trouble. And if Beth would get into trouble, you could bet I'd pay for it later. I scratched my head hard through my cap. Maybe I could tell everyone in the class I was testing a new mint-flavored lice medicine I'd invented. Our teacher said our project should be an exciting discovery or an invention that would help kids.

The prize was two tickets to the Museum of Science and Invention in Rockdale. The two kids who won got to take the whole day off school and be driven to Rockdale by a teacher chaperone. And got free lunch tickets, too, at Eindtein's Café at the museum. I'd eaten there only once and wanted to go back. If you ordered there only once before I wanted to go back. If you ordered hot chocolate, you got a little silver tray with a tiny cup of chocolate chips, extra whipped cream, and a peppermint stick to put in your cocoa.

Some of the most famous best friends at St. Dominic's started out as Discovery Project partners. If I could get Emmy Bloom to be my partner, we could be friends for life. She was the tallest girl in the class and the best girl at sports. I was wild to be friends with her. Emmy and her best friend, Kayla Quintana, split up last month at a slumber party. I hadn't had an official best friend since Lola Jo moved to Pensacola two years ago. Some kids were kinda funny toward me on account of my dad, but I was almost used to that. I had so many secrets saved up to tell a new best friend that I was about to explode.

And a giant one about Grandpa that I was dying to tell someone. Anyone but Mom.

I ran a dry toothbrush through my mouth quick. I figured I could skip the toothpaste today since I had a half a tube on my head. Beth's neon yellow toothbrush sat alone in a cup on the sink. I picked it up, made a silent wish, and tossed her brush into the toilet, like a coin.

For luck.


	2. Chapter 2

_Okay, here is the second chapter of the story. Hope you enjoy! If you forgot or are just starting to read, HG is Carlisle. Just a reminder. ENJOY! _

My Life Isn't Always Perfect, But Sometimes, It Can Seem Like It

Chapter Two

Beth and I waited at the bus stop, still out of breath. For three long blocks we lugged: our lunches with Mom's special meat loaf, schoolbooks, a three-pound tin of Ginger Doodles for Mimi the crossing guard, and Beth's giant science project. When the bus pulled up, Beth jumped on, leaving me to carry everything.

"I'll run on and get us good seats, Esme." She called over her shoulder.

I loaded up like a pack mule while others crowded into the bus. I was the last one on, staggering, my armpits itchy with sweat. Beth waved her pinky at me as I lumbered down the aisle. "Sorry, May. There weren't any seats left together."

Of course, she'd found one for herself right next to her best friend, Philomena Finch. They were already busy putting on the makeup Beth smuggled out of the house. Philomena Finch's little brother, Carlisle, sat in the seat behind then, his nose in the Bible. You never saw him without it. He had his Notre Dame baseball cap pulled low over his eyes. He was in my fourth-grade class. Not that you'd ever notice though. He was so quiet you could forget he was there. Everybody called him Holy Ghost, or HG for short-except in front of the teachers. I tried to remember to call him Carlisle to his face, but he was always HG in my head.

He looked up at me when I passed and gave me a small smile. I was the only kid in class he paid much attention to. I guess because our sisters are best friends. I was always friendly back, but he kinda spooked me.

There was only one seat left on the bus, as always, next to Charles Evanson, the most famous boy in the class in the sixth grade. He made a living at school doing weird stuff for money and was trying to see how long he could grow his toenails. Most kids were too grossed out to sit by him. This week he'd been working on a booger collection, which was stuck to the outside of his lunchbox. He'd let you see it for fifty cents.

"Hey, May." He said as I sat down. "Check it out." He knocked on the outside of his lunchbox, which was now wrapped in a heavy plastic bag. To protect his collection, I guessed. "I've got about forty of 'em now. And you know that kid with the big neck, Buzz? He said if I brought him some cupcakes today, he's give me a booger. Cool, huh?"

"Swell." I said, scooching to the far side of my seat. From the aisle, I could see Beth tossing her hair back in a way that she thinks makes her look really glamorous. I gave my seatmate a long look. "Charles, did you know my big sister, Beth, has a crazy, mad crush on you?"

He raised his eyebrows, definitely interested. "Yeah?"

I looked down a moment at his lunchbox, feeling my breakfast threaten to come up. "Mmm-hmm. And I bet if you go sit by her at lunch, she might have a little something too add to your collection."

At ten minutes to eight, we arrived at St. Dominic's. I let Charles carry Beth's science project off the bus. It was a model of a human heart she made with papier-mache and spray paint. She'd labeled all the little valves with little banners on toothpicks. Mom mounted it on our old Candyland game board spray painted green. And she lent Beth a real stethoscope so people could listen to the lub-dub sound of the heart valves opening and closing. For someone who didn't' actually have a heart, my sister was pretty smart about them.

Beth and Philomena looked like they might faint when Charles and I walked up to them. Charles handed the heart over to Beth and smiled as he sauntered off. "See you at lunch, eh, Beth?"

She shoved the project back at me and spat, "Carry it. I am not touching anything Booger Boy touched."

"Beth! I'm not carrying this all day!"

"Don't be such a baby, Esme. It's just to my class." She pulled her jacket off, even though it was cold. I noticed she was wearing her best dress-up blouse, which is meant for church and not for school. It was some slinky kind of material and scoopy in the front. Beth was using a "free dress" coupon she earned for collecting the most canned goods for the missions. That meant she didn't have to wear our black and green plaid uniforms for one whole day. Carlisle said St. Dominic's uniforms were ugly enough to make a dog sick. I hated them because they made my backside itch after sitting in class all day.

Beth pulled a blue jay feather out of the pocket of her blouse, which was purple and matched the eye shadow she was wearing. "I have to carry this for Mr. Constantino, and I don't want to muss it."

Mr. Constantino was her science teacher, and Beth had plans to marry him. I once called Mrs. Constantino and warned her. She thanked me for my call and said she'd keep that in mind.

I was late when I finally reached my homeroom class with Mr. Giles, who grew hair out of his ears instead of on his head. I always tried to speak nice and loud in case he couldn't hear me.

"SORRY I'M LATE MR. GILES. I HAD TO STAY AND HELP MY BIG SISTER, ELIZABETH PLATT." Then I dropped my voice so only those in North America could hear. "She WET HER PANTS on the bus."

Mr. Giles looked at me over the top of his glasses and cleared his throat. That was his special signal for boys and girls to stop talking and sit down. I tiptoed down the aisle to my seat, my special signal for "sorry to be late." After I sat down, I noticed he was still staring at me. He crossed his arms over his chest. That could mean anything, but mostly meant he was waiting for me to do something else. What?

"Your hat, Esme, please. We don't use umbrellas or hats indoors, do we?"

I slid six inches lower in my seat as I pulled my hat off. My hair was stiff and gummy, and now smashed flat against my skull. I had something that felt like a dead squirrel hanging off the back of my neck, which I was hoping was just a big wad of my gooped-up hair. (And not actually a dead squirrel.) Mr. Giles turned his back to the board, but the rest of the class kept staring at me.

"Esme!" whispered Naomi from across the aisle. "What ya got all over your hair?"

I sighed and pulled a tablet out of my desk. I printed big letters with my thick black marker.

**It's a deep condishioner because I might be going to a very fancy dinner party with a lot of rich people and my mother said I had to have it in case there are a lot of pictures being taken she doesn't want me with dry hare.**

My note said, "might be going" so it wasn't an official lie. I _might _be going to the White House for dinner tonight. You just never know in life what could happen next. I held up my note to Naomi while she read it, and held it up a little longer to make sure everyone else around me had read it too.

HG gave my hair a long look and then turned away. Emmy Triboni turned around in her seat and read my note. Then she shook her head, "You spelled 'hair' wrong." She whispered.

HG whipped back around. "No she didn't." he whispered back. "She used the Old English version of 'hair' which can also be spelled h-a-r-e. You're just used to seeing the new version." His cheeks got very red and then he buried his head back into his Bible, which was hidden inside his math book. Carlisle didn't talk too much, so when he did, I think it kinda got his blood pressure up.

Emmy cocked her eyebrow up a notch and shrugged. And then she turned away. Like she couldn't be bothered with this whole boring scene one more second. Not exactly a great start for two new _maybe_-best friends.

This was all Beth's fault, I thought, steaming. She ruined everything. I wrote her name in big black letters across the bottom of my tablet, **ELIZABETH, **almost tearing through the paper. I underlined LI and then E. Figured that anyone who's name can have the word LIE in it would be hateful. I scribbled through it with sharp lines like lightning bolts and ripped out the page. I balled it up and threw it inside my desk.

HG stole a peek at me over his shoulder, then tried to act like he didn't.

On a clean sheet of paper, in my very best handwriting, I spelled out E-m-m-y. Then I wrote my name right next to hers. I drew a big circle around us with a line of tiny stars. We belonged together. I just knew it. And by the time Science Olympics was over, I vowed, nothing-not even Beth-would be able to get between us.


	3. Chapter 3

_Here is chapter three. I heard that some of you really liked hearing this from young Esme's POV, and I'm continuing it for you guys. I really appreciate you guys reading this and reviewing. Keep reviewing, 'cause I love those reviews! (And 'cause I have nothing else to read that's that awesome __)_

My Life Isn't Always Perfect, But Sometimes, It Can Seem Like It

Chapter three

"Esme! Esme! Come here!" Beth yelled at me from across the playground during afternoon recess.

I ignored her. I was trying to catch Emmy Triboni alone for one second so I could talk to her about my great idea for an invention. I was hoping she'd think it was so great she wouldn't be able to say no to being my partner. She was shooting hoops with a bunch of boys and I didn't want to interrupt her. Emmy took sports very seriously, especially when there were boys involved.

"ESME! I don't have all day!"

"Wha-at?" I yelled as I ran over, keeping one eye glued on Emmy.

Beth and Phil were stationed in their usual recess spot near the girls' restroom. The only sport they liked to play was Lipstick. "Do you have the key to the Scouts treasury box with you?" Beth asked.

"Of course." I said, "It's Friday, and we always have our meeting on Fridays, and it's my responsibility-"

"Fine!" she said, cutting me off. She dug her hand down the front of my blouse.

"Hey! What ya doing?" I cried, trying to shake her off. "Stop it Beth!"

"Well, give it over, will you?" she said, still digging around inside my shirt. "I need to borrow it for a sec. where's that chain you wear?"

I pulled back hard and yanked myself away. "I don't have it on a chain anymore!"

Beth sneered at me over her pointy nose. "I bet you lost it, didn't you? I knew you would sooner or later. I don't know why they ever voted you as the treasurer. You lose everything."

"I did not lose the key to the treasury." I said, "And I don't lost everything. I only lost our church money that ONE time." I said, "And it was an accident." I looked at Phil trying to explain. "I couldn't find my church purse on Sunday. So, I stuck the money in the pocket of my dress, but I found out it wasn't like a real pocket for putting stuff in, it was one of those fake dress pockets for just looking fancy. They're no good for holding anything. So it must have slipped out somewhere."

Phil flipped her hair and looked over her shoulder to see if anyone interesting was looking at her.

Beth got in my face. "If you didn't lose the key, then give it. I need it for OFFICIAL school business." She said.

I licked my lips, nervous, then took a quick look over at the hoops. Oh, no! Jessica Quintana was standing just outside the court watching Emmy. She was probably going to try to get Emmy to be her Discovery Project partner. Beth turned to see what I was looking at.

"Beth, I have to go! I'm not giving you the key. I'm not allowed!" I started to walk away, but she pulled me back with cold, snaky fingers.

She put her face right up to mine-so close I could smell the horseradish from her meatloaf sandwich. "You lost the key, didn't you May?"

"I didn't lose it! It's right-" I looked around real quick to make sure no one was looking and lifted my shirt up a tiny bit in the front. "Right here." I whispered, pointing to a big gray square on my belly. "Under the duct tape."

"You taped it to your stomach?" Phil asked, peering over Beth's shoulder. "Gawd, you are such a freak, Esme." She elbowed Beth, "She's almost as bad as Carlisle."

"I am not as bad as HG is!" I protested. "I just didn't want to lose the key and the chain broke and I couldn't find another one!"

"Okay, fine-whatever." Beth said. "Hand it over. I need to borrow it for just a sec so I can make some change. You go play with your little friend Carlisle over there, and I'll be back in five minutes."

"Go get change in the office Beth. I'm not letting you open the treasury. And Carlisle is not my friend!" I looked over toward the tree where Carlisle was sitting, reading. His ears turned red like he had heard me. Some boys started going over there and picking on him too, I observed.

"They only have change for a twenty and I have a fifty. I already asked them. Right Phil?"

She nodded and popped her gum next to my ear.

"Where did you get a FIFTY Beth?" I asked, shocked. I'd never even seen a real fifty-dollar bill in my whole life.

"Principal Obermeyer gave it to me. She wants to buy something at the pep club booth after school, but she is very busy and doesn't have time to go herself."

"Lemme see it," I said. "I don't believe you."

Beth rolled her eyes at Philomena, and then looked back at me with her fake patient look. "I don't have it yet. She told me to go get some change first. Of course, I can always go back and tell her that my little sister, Esme Platt, treasurer for the Scouts, is refusing to give the principal change!"

I lowered my eyes to hide my fear. Ms. Obermeyer was our new principal and I'd only seen her assembly. She had excellent posture and walked very fast. Beth said that's because she used to be in the Army. If you got in trouble, she'd make you do sit-ups and push-ups until you could just barely walk. Beth said Billy Martindale threw up from it, and then Principal Obermeyer made him clean it up with a toothbrush. I definitely did not want to talk to her. She might make us do a hundred push-ups just for interrupting.

"_GO, GO, EMMY! WOO! WOO!" _

My head whipped back around to the court and the tree was just in the corner of my vision. Although that tree wasn't my first concern. Jessica was bouncing under the basket doing cheers for Emmy. Emmy stopped and looked at her, and then I think she saw Carlisle. She walked over and I saw her say something to the boys who were picking on him, and then I saw them run away as if their lives depended on it. Then Emmy walked away without hearing a 'thanks' from Carlisle. I was torn right in two, straight up the middle. I really should go and get change for Principal and Beth myself, just to be safe. Our Scout Leader, Sister Lucille, made me promise that I would never let anyone except her and me open the treasury box. But if I didn't get over to Emmy before recess was over, I might lose her to Jessica. I reached up under my shirt, ripped the tape off my stomach, and peeled two keys off the back.

"Here." I snapped. "The big key is for the supply closet and the little one is for the lockbox. When you're done, make sure you lock both-"

"Don't sweat it Esme! You worry too much. I'll give them back to you at Scouts. Promise!"

The school bell blasted, ending recess. I raced toward the court to grab Emmy just for a minute. As she sank a neat hoop shot, Jessica and I plowed right into one another. "Oh, Sor-r-ry!" I said, trying to get my breath back.

"Watch it, E-s-meeee!" she said, her face cross. Jessica always made my name sound like some terrible dental disease.

"Emmy! Can I talk to you for a sec?" I asked.

Jessica coiled herself around Emmy's arm like a snake, putting herself right in the middle of us. "What ya want?" she asked, "Need a pen to write your dad in the-"

"Shut up, Jessica!" Emmy said, giving her an elbow jab. She wiped the sweat off her face with her forearm and looked at me, curious. "What?" She asked.

"I was just wondering if had someone to, well, um…" I paused, then moved closer so Jessica couldn't hear.

Jessica stuck her face right between ours. She had the meanest-looking mouth I'd ever seen-all skinny and sharp. "Can _we _help you with something, Esme?"

"Uh, well, oh, nothing, I guess." I said, shrugging and backing off. "I'll catch you later, Emmy." No way I was going to ask her in front of Jessica.

Jessica gave me a dirty look and dragged Emmy away quick like she was some kind of celebrity.

I'd just lost my big chance. I was burning daylight-and the bats were circling, Grandpa would say. I hurried back to homeroom and rubbed the raw place on my stomach were I pulled the tape off. It was cold and sticky and matched the nervous feeling that slithered right across the back of my neck.

HG appeared at my side in the spooky way he had. Geez, you never saw that boy coming. "Esme," he said in his mini-ghost voice. "I was wondering if you'd picked someone for your Discovery Project, yet-'cos if you haven't, maybe you'd want to-"

I cut him off quick before he could finish. I did not want to turn him down, but no way did I want him for my partner. He probably learned how to part the Red Sea like Moses and was planning to do a live demonstration for the class.

"Oh, yeah! I got a great partner-but we're keeping it a secret, for fun, you know? Uh-oh! There's Mr. Giles! C'mon-we better hurry!" I dove into my desk and slid down in my seat. HG turned back around as he put his hat under his seat. He didn't' look at me, but I could feel his hurt hanging in the air around me. I made a mental promise to do something really nice for him soon. Maybe leave some cookies in his desk or sit by him on the bus on purpose instead of ignoring him.

And, almost if he heard my thoughts, right before my eyes, HG's ears grew bright red.

_Sorry if you thought what Esme was thinking Carlisle was gonna do for the DP was kinda weird, I went blank for a second there. But I will tell you, that's not what the project is gonna be. But I don't know if the project actually works… _


	4. Chapter 4

_Okay, here's chapter four. I got the stuff about the missions for this chapter from my trip to Guatemala. It wasn't the best thing I ever saw, but, you know. The world happens. Anyway…I know you've been waiting for a while, I was trying to get a chapter done for a different story. And watching "Spy Next Door" and checking my e-mail, and-well, you get the point. Here, since I haven't done a disclaimer yet…_

_**Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Twilight or any of the characters from there that are involved in my story. I only slightly own Emmy. She is more owned by one of my friends: EmEm34, and another one of my friends who doesn't have a FanFiction account. (Sadly). And I don't own much of this, I got ideas from other stories that I read on Quizilla. **_

_Anyways, how about we continue on to the fourth chapter of this story, shall we?_

My Life Isn't Always Perfect, But Sometimes, It Can Seem Like It

Chapter Four

At a quarter past three, Sister Lucille brought the weekly meeting of the St. Dominic's Boys and Girls Scout Meeting to order. She, Father McCabe, and our mothers were the only ones who used our full name. We preferred just plain "Scouts." It was bad enough that the girls had little feathery white wings on our beanies. I kind of liked them until I marched in our Christmas parade next to the public school kids. They nearly bust a gut laughing at us.

"Kids! Kids!" Sister Lucille said, clapping her big, chapped hands together. "Settle down now! We've got a very full meeting today! Father McCabe will be stopping by in just a bit to show us his slides of the missions in Guatemala. Then we've got to plan our special holiday project for the poor."

I adored Sister. She had curly caramel hair like mine. When I was a first grader, she let me peek up under her stuff white nun wimple to let me see it. Beth said Sister Lucille was on official nun probation and might lose her job for flirting with the priests. But Beth could only be making that up because she knew I liked Sister Lucille.

"Esme, let's take roll quickly-just an informal head count is fine, and then we'll move quickly on to our program."

"Yes Sister, but don't forget we have to collect dues for this month," I said, jumping up, "We were supposed to do it last week, but you took us out to the nursing home and we didn't get back in time."

"Oh! Dues-that's right. How could I have forgotten?" she put a finger to her lips. "I'm afraid we are on a very tight schedule today. We mustn't keep Father waiting. Perhaps we could just take roll for now?"

"But I brought my money today, Sister!" Dana Abercrombie said.

"Me too!" Several other girls jumped in.

"St. Dominic Scouts, if we have time, we'll collect dues later."

"I'll get the roll sheet then, Sister." I said. "It'll only take a second." I jumped up from my place in the Hallelujah circle and dashed over to the supply closet. It wasn't that I was so hot about taking roll; I just wanted to make sure the lockbox was okay. It would be just like Beth to leave it open. I'd been holding the keys so tight since Beth gave them to be after school that I had little key engravings in the palm of my hand.

I loved being treasurer. Mom was so proud of me when I got elected. I had a hunch that Sister Lucille had something to do with me winning the election. She probably got all her nun friends to stuff the ballot box in my favor. I think it was their way of trying to show everyone that it didn't matter to them about my dad, and that they could trust a Platt kid.

I hummed under my breath to the Scouts song they were singing while I opened the closet door. The treasury box with little angel stickers all over the lid was right where it was supposed to be-whew!

I put the small key in the padlock and pulled the lid open.

A little chill crawled up my back. The ledger card on top showed the balance of $87.75-but the card was sitting very, very low in the box. I lifted the card up, and stared at the three quarters and stubby pencil sitting alone at the bottom.

My short life passed before my eyes.

I blinked and looked again. The cash was _gone_! There was no fifty-dollar bill from Principal Obermeyer, no familiar wrinkled dollar bills, no fives, no tens. We'd been robbed! I tried to drag in a breath of air, but it felt like an elephant was sitting on my chest. This had to be a joke-Beth and Phil's idea. I could just hear them plotting. _Hey, Phil, want to see my little sister go totally psycho at the Scout meeting?_

I licked my lips and stuck my head out the closet door. The group had finished their song and everyone had their heads bowed for the opening prayer. All except Beth, who was eyeing the closet door. I gave her my meanest, maddest look and motioned her to come over right NOW.

She closed her eyes and started praying with the group all of a sudden.

I cleared my throat, but she ignored me. I coughed three times-she kept praying. God was probably stunned; since I'm pretty sure He hadn't heard from Beth in a long time. I coughed like I had a chain saw caught in the back of my throat.

"Esme!" Sister Lucille called over to me. "Are you all right? I'll be right there-"

I jammed the lock back on the treasury and clicked it closed.

Beth leapt up, making a quick sign of the cross. "I'll take care of it, Sister. Sometimes she just needs a good whack on the back…" She hurried over and took my arm. She pulled me back into the closet and walloped me a good one between the shoulder blades.

"Ou-u-uch!" I cried in my loudest whisper.

"Well, what are you bugging me for?"

"Like you don't know!" I said, feeling crazy inside. "Where's the _money_? I want it all back this second, Beth!"

She glared at me, her eyes like mean little marbles. "Just shut up, Esme!" It's only a few bucks! Big flipping deal! I'll have it back to you by next week. If you want, I'll pay the treasury an extra dollar for interest."

"A few bucks?" I hissed. "You call eighty-seven dollars a few bucks? You could go to prison for that, just like-"

"Eighty-seven dollars? What are you talking about? I borrowed twenty bucks. That's all that was in there! And some quarters."

"You're lying! And you told me you were going to make change for Principal Obermeyer!"

She shrugged. "Well, okay, I made _that _part up! I knew you wouldn't loan me any money out of the box if I asked. All I did was come in here, open the box, and take four fives out. Then I locked up the box, locked the closet door, and gave the keys to you after last period."

"But all the money's GONE, Beth! I knew you took it and I want it back NOW!" I sputtered, spit flying everywhere.

She clapped her hand over my mouth and dragged me deep into the corner of the closet. She whispered right down my ear canal, her breath hot. "Just-shut-up-right-now, or everyone is going to hear!"

Sister Lucille poked her head around the corner. "Girls! Is everything all right?" she looked at the treasury box I held clutched to my chest.

"We're fine, Sister!" Beth said, barely loosening the choke hold she had on me. "Sometimes Esme can't stop coughing. Mom and I have this special way of helping her. We just have to hold her real close and help her do some deep breathing." She looked down at me. "Are you feeling better now, Esme?" she asked me in a voice I didn't recognize.

I cleared my throat. "Um, ah, yes! Thanks!"

"Well," Sister said, glancing at her watch. "Hurry along, you two! Let's take roll before Father McCabe arrives. Just leave the treasury in here for now, all right?"

"Right!" I squeaked. "I-I-I didn't even open it!"

Beth shoved me out in front of her. "Keep your mouth shut or you'll never see fifth grade."

I sat down at the small desk next to the Hallelujah circle. Beth sat back down next to Phil and kept a hard eye on me. I scraped my front teeth back and forth over my bottom lip-a nervous habit Mom was hoping I'd outgrow.

"Esme?" Sister Lucille said, gently prompting me to begin. "Do you have your roll sheet?"

"Uh, yes, Sister." I reached into my backpack and pulled out my Scout folder. "I had it in here all the time. I don't know why I thought it was in the closet. Dana Abercrombie?" I called, trying not to shriek.

"Here!" she said. She waved a ten-dollar bill over her head. "I'm paying for two months, so I don't need change today."

"Okay!" I said, "Just hang on to it for now."

"Maya Bently?" I called.

"Here!" she jumped up from the circle and came over to the desk. "I need change. My mom only had a ten. I need five back."

"Kids!" Sister Lucille called out. "We're not doing dues right now. Let Esme get through roll."

I took a big gulp of air. "Ginger Cohen?"

"Here! And I'll need change for a twe-e-e-nty today when you're re-e-eaaaaday for it!" she sang.

The classroom door flew open and Father McCabe rolled in on the back of a cart with a slide projector sitting on top. "Greetings, my school's scouts." He boomed, he jumped off the cart and gave a big bow. "AND my beautiful Scout leader!" he said, giving Sister Lucille a big toothy smile.

She ducked from our view and began sitting up chairs so we could all see better.

"He-ellllo Fa-ther!" we all chanted.

Sister Lucille dimmed the lights as he launched into his talk. He had one of those remote-control clickers on his slide projector that just seemed to thrill the heck out of him. Father McCabe loved the missions like some men loved fancy cars or golf or racehorses. Once you got him started, he could barely be stopped. I looked at the clock. It was already twenty-five minutes to four. If we could keep him going until a quarter past, I'd be safe.

Beth was watching Father McCabe, I noticed, and not the slides. Beth loved men, even priests, as much as Father McCabe loved the missions.

For the next half-hour, my mind was blurred with visions of near-naked children eating white rice and oatmeal with their fingers, and crying babies getting shots in their behinds from people with giant white smiles. In between Father McCabe's slides, I'd see ones of me and Beth sitting near naked in a small prison cell eating rice with our fingers. I shuddered and tried to close my eyes to it, but I couldn't get rid of the picture.

I felt a pair of eyes on me and turned. HG was staring at me, like maybe he was seeing the same pictures I was. Then he pointed to his mouth and then at me. I put my hand to my mouth and it was wet. He scooted over to me and handed me a tissue. "You're bleeding." He said, his voice soft.

"Thanks" I said, and tried to blot the blood off. Mom would have a fit when she saw me like this. I hadn't done my lip bad enough to make it bleed since Grandpa died.

The lights flipped on, blinding us all. Sister Lucille pulled up the shades. "Father, that was wonderful! Thank you for coming to share that with us. We're going to look at some fun photos of our last Scout fund-raiser; then we've got some marvelous snacks to share while we plan our holiday project for the poor. We hope you'll stay."

"And don't forget the dues!" Maya called.

"Sister! Sister!" I said, jumping up. "I was hoping we could have some time to, um, uh, ask Father some questions. Gosh, I've got about a million questions about the missions."

"Me too, Sister!" Beth piped up.

"Well, all right girls!" she said, thrilled at our interest. "It looks like everyone is here, so we don't have to finish roll."

"E-s-meeeee! I still need change for a twenty!" Ginger sang.

"Sister?" HG said, climbing to his feet and raising his hand. "I have an idea."

"Yes, Carlisle?" Sister Lucille asked, trying to hide the surprise on her face. I don't think HG had ever talked in Scouts before. He just came because his mother made him.

"I think we should just all give our dues today to Father McCabe for the missions in Guatemala." He said in a rush.

Beth rushed up, "Great idea!" she plucked Phil's beanie from her head. "I'll second that!"

Father McCabe beamed and gave us all an extra blessing while Beth went around the circle and stood in front of each girl until she dropped her money into the hat. No one was going to argue with Beth about this. By the time she got to Ginger and Maya, there was enough to make change right out of the hat.

I was saved, for the moment, at least. But I still had eighty-seven big problems that were not going away anytime soon. And one big sister who was going straight to hell-but NOT until she paid the treasury back.

_There you go, chapter four. Hope you liked it! Keep reading this story! And, no, I actually did write most of this whole story, all ideas from this were from my brain and overactive imagination, personally. A lot of it comes from my sister, too. She's a piece of work. Heehee, just kidding…kind of._


	5. Chapter 5

_Okay, if you got confused with the Authors Note in the biginning of chapter four, don't worry. I confused myself a little there too. You can ignore pretty much all of it. Except for where I said that I don't own anything that came from Twilight. I might get sued if I said I owned that…dunno. My family isn't involved in law. Anyhoo…Here is: CHAPTER FIVE!_

My Life Isn't Always Perfect, But Sometimes, It Can Seem Like It

Chapter Five

After some really bad health snacks-health nut bars that weighed a pound each and tasted like earwax-I snuck away and sat in a bathroom stall. I was waiting for twenty past four so I could get on the bus and go home. I wasn't going to go back to the Scout meeting and take any chance Sister Lucille would want to check the ledger to see if it was time to make a deposit in the bank.

I was in trouble with a capital "T". Up to my armpits in alligators, like Grandpa would say.

I knew I had to tell on Beth, but if I did, it would probably send Mom right over the edge. She was used to Beth screwing up, but this was the worst ever. If she found out that Beth had stolen money from the St. Dominic's Scout treasury, it would do her in. Chances were she'd pack her bags and just drive off and leave us. Just like Aunt Irene said Mom wanted to do after she first found out about Dad six years ago.

Mom had just gotten back to kinda acting like her old when Grandpa died last year. It about did us all in. He'd been our main guy ever since Dad left. He fixed things around the house, made us laugh till our sides hurt, took us out to fancy dinners whenever he could, and when she wasn't looking, he'd stuff Mom's wallet with cash from his Social Security check.

Then she'd stuff it back in his jacket pocket when he wasn't looking because she was too proud, is what Beth would say.

All the brightness got sucked out of our lives when he died. Grandpa lived his life like it was one big adventure. Like the time he got knocked out of a tree by lightening and didn't die or anything. It was my favorite story and I'd make him tell it to me over and over.

He said back when he was a boy, he was out playing in the woods when a fierce storm barreled in. He said the lightening and thunder were flashing and booming at the same time, which meant he was squat in the middle of it. He knew he should get home, but if he did, his mom would make him get away from the windows and not let him watch. And my grandpa loved a good storm! So he climbed up into a tree and tried to make himself real small so he wouldn't be such a target. Well, it rained and hailed and crackled and thundered all around him. And then it got quiet for one long Ohio second, he'd say. Then the hairs on his head stood straight up and his hands started to tingle. And ka-BLAM went the lightening and hit the tree and split a branch right off-the very one he was sitting on. He fell right off and landed in the mud.

And I'd always say, "Grandpa, you could have been _killed_!" and he'd always say, "THAT one didn't have my name on it, May. I knew it sure, even back then."

The one that finally did have his name on it was a flash called Stroke and it took him fast and merciful. When Grandpa's housekeeper came the next morning, he was lying on the floor next to his bed with his ancient cat, Pretty Girl, sitting right on top of him like a big fluffy cake ornament.

I made a silent prayer to Grandpa, even though Sister Lucille said you couldn't really pray to dead relatives for things-though you could say hello. But Sister Lucille didn't know Grandpa. If there was a way he could help me, I just know he would. I'd wait until I got home so I could pray to him in person. Well, almost in person.

The stall door next to me banged shut. I lifted my feet up and sat cross-legged on the seat. I didn't want anyone to know where I was right now. I leaned over to see who's feet they were. Big black tennies that looked kind of familiar.

I listened as my bathroom neighbor pulled a toilet-seat cover from the box on the wall. Whoever it was had nice hygiene manners, as Mom called it. I could hear the r-r-rip as she punched out the little donut hole in the middle.

"Dangnammit!" she swore. I heard her ball up the toilet-seat cover and throw it into the very short white trash can on the floor.

She pulled a fresh one from the wall dispenser. It got real quiet for a minute, and I heard the first trickle hit the paper. I have excellent hearing for these kinds of things. The tissue started crackling again. "Christopher Columbus!"

I caught my breath and held it. It was Emmy Triboni! She'd made that the new cool thing to say after we learned all the bad stuff Columbus did to the Native Americans. The nuns didn't mind because they said it in _Little Women _too.

I heard her jump off the seat and turn, tennies facing the toilet. A pair of bright blue panties came sliding down her legs like fireman down two long poles.

"Dang stupid thing!" she whispered. A tissue storm broke out in her stall, with a bunch of scrunching, tearing, and ripping.

"I hate those things too." I said finally, when it quieted down. "They just never stay put."

"Yeah, no kidding. Who is that over there, anyway?" she asked.

"It's me, Emmy-Esme." I licked my lips. _Come on, girl, _I told myself, _Here's your chance. Just ask her! But what if she thought my idea was stupid?_

"Oh, hey, May," she said, and sighed. I heard her sit back down hard with a clunk and probably not on a toilet-seat cover. "And if you don't get the hole torn out just right-"

"It catches there, and you puddle up…"

She giggled. "Yeah, and the puddle rolls right over onto your leg."

We sighed together.

"Somebody should invent better toilet-seat covers." She said, "You could probably make a million bucks."

My heart started galloping like a wild mustang. And the world's most sensational Discovery Project idea came to me in a dazzling flash of light. I jumped down from my seat and turned to stare at the toilet lid. _That's it, _I thought in amazement, _it would work, I just knew it!_

I shivered in excitement. I could almost see the statues they'd put up in front of St. Dominic's one day of me and Emmy-famous inventors, famous rich girls, and famous best friends.

"Hey, Emmy!" I said, my voice burbling with excitement. "When you're done over there, come here a sec. I gotta show you something. I'm about to change your life."

Mom had flour all over her hands when I got home from Scouts. Pretty Girl hissed and swiped at me as I hurried by. She was still mad as heck about Grandpa up and dying on her.

"Where's Beth Mom?" I asked, still huffing from my run home from the bus stop. "I couldn't find her anywhere after Scouts and I waited and waited and finally I had to go or I'd miss the bus."

Mom turned around and plugged her fists into her hips. "Beth didn't help you get on the bus?"

"No! I couldn't find her anywhere!"

She gave a big deep sigh but her face stayed all pinched. I knew what she was thinking. About the mean big kids who made fun of me and Beth on the downtown bus and then they made us give them all our money. It happened two years ago, and Mom still worried about us.

"Mom, I'm fine. Nothing happened. But where is she?"

"Well, she called after Scouts and said that Mrs. Finch had invited her to come home with Phil and have dinner. I said yes, but I told her she first had to get you on the bus safely. And to make sure you were sitting by someone nice."

"Well, I didn't see her anywhere."

Mom washed her hands off quickly. "I'm going to call her right now and have her sent home."

"No, don't! Let her stay." I liked having the house to myself. I pulled off my baseball cap and dumped my backpack on the table. The stolen money would be safe over there. Mrs. Finch was pretty strict and I knew Beth and Phil would have to stay home and couldn't go out shopping and spend it before I could get it back.

"Esme!" Mom said, rising off her hands and coming over to me. "What have you got all over your hair?" She leaned closer to sniff. "And where are those new bunny barrettes I got you?"

"Oh, uh, I left them at school in my desk. They felt kind of loose and I didn't want them to fall out." I lied before I could stop myself.

Mom pulled me over to the sink and turned on the water. "What in God's name did you put in your hair?"  
"It's toothpaste. Beth did it. It was supposed to be styling gel, except we didn't have any. I tried to make her stop." I surrendered to the warm water running through my hair, and Mom massaging my scalp. That was one of the ways that Mom changed the most. She hardly touched us anymore unless it was to feed or clean us. Now I just kinda sucked it up when I could get it.

"Esme, you've got to learn to hold your own against her. Say no when you need to."

"She's really hard to stop, Mom." Io said, thinking past the toothpaste to the keys to the treasury. I still couldn't believe she'd gotten them from me.

"Well," Mom said, "it sounds like it's time to put Beth back on her success chart."

My head reared up like one of those Killer Whales surfacing at Sea Universe. Water flew everywhere. "No, Mom! Not another success chart!" I sputtered.

"Es-me!" she sid, pushing me back down and trying to blot us both dry with a dishtowel. "Beth needs to be reined in from time to time. Putting toothpaste in your hair before school is completely out of line. I won't have it."

A success chart was Mom's idea of curing Beth's bossy behavior. Beth got stars for being "appropriate" with me, and ot grounded when she didn't. Beth ended up getting stars for the biggest upchucking display of fake Nice Sister behiavior you've ever seen. She could turn the stars in for money if she earned enough. If she blew it, she got grounded. To our room. Like where I lived. So I was the one who ended up getting punished. I asked Mom if she could ground Beth to the backyard, but Mom said it was too cold out there. And the neightbors might complain.

Mom turned my head and ran warm water over my ears and the back of my neck. Her voice was more like a muffled hum now, but I could guess what she was saying. She was worried I'd end up like Dad. It was a sermon I'd heard plenty of times before.

She turned off the water. "-and she has such a strong personality. You're going to have to deal with people like her your whole life." She pulled me up and threw a clean dishtowel over my head. Gave my scalp a brisk rub. I watched her face as she gace my head a good going-over, as if one single drop of damp would lead me straight to pneumonia. I fought an urge to lay my head on her shoulder and confess the whole sorry mess eight then and there. I tried to guess what she would say. But it wouldn't be what she would say. It would be the look on her face. I took a big breath and let the moment slide away.

"Hey! Guess what?" I said, desperate to change the subject.

"Well, _what_?" she said, turning back to the bread she was making. It was her weekend therapy, she'd always say.

"Emmy Triboni is going to be my Discovery Project partner!" I said, loving the way her name just rolled off my tongue.

Mom looked over at me and gave me a small smile. "Great! Did she like your idea about refizzing flat soda?"

I tried to shake some water from my ear. "Not that one. I got an even better idea today." I was so relived t get past the near-moment-of-confession that I sounded a little crazy, like when I had too much sugar. "and Emmy loved it! I bet we win best Discovery Project! Isn't that GREAT?"

"So, what is it?" Mom looked intrigued.

"I can't tell you! My maybe-new-best-friend Emmy and me agreed that it has to be top secret. We can't tell anyone. Not even mothers." I added. I took the towel from Mom and wiped my face off. "But I need something of yours to make our project. But I can't tell you what it is because it would be a big clue. So can I have it?"

Mom raised her eyebrows. "Now, May, how can I answer that?"

"You for sure don't need them anymore." I said. "And the box they come in said it only costs a dollar ninety-nine. Please, Mom, please it's for schooool!"

She threw her hands up. "I give! They're yours, Madame Curie. Go forth and discover!"

I ran down the hall to call Emmy, feeling like I'd been stuck on some crazy carnival ride all day. Thrilled and sick to my stomach all at once.

_Ta-da! Chapter five. Sorry if the whole bathroom scene was a little weird, that was the time I had just finished some candy, and I got a little weird. Not like sugar-rush weird, just, like, well, weird. I don't get sugar-rushes, surprisingly. I'm just a naturally weird person. Anyway, I think the chapter where Esme starts making the science project will get creepy, too. So, um, if you don't like creepy, well, uh, don't read those chapters. _


	6. Chapter 6

_Okay, here is…Chapter Six! Enjoy!_

My Life Isn't Always Perfect, But Sometimes, It Can Seem Like It

Chapter Six

At the exact stroke of midnight, my Scout clock glow-in-the-dark alarm clock, which was buried under my covers, went off. I had set it in vibrate before I went to bed, so it didn't sing _Good Morning, Dear God, _like it usually does. But its little wings were beating like mad against my stomach.

I jackknifed up in bed. My pajama top was cold and wet next to my skin. I'd be having a terrible dream. Naked Guatemalan kids were skating tiny circles around me like I was some kind of Maypole. They were wrapping and unwrapping me with big rolls of duct tape. Their skates were so noisy, and Principal Obermeyer was there too. She kept yelling and shining this bright light in my eyes.

I shivered and squeezed myself. I hadn't had a nightmare about Principal Obermeyer for a long time. I used to have them a lot in first grade after she'd talk in assembly with her big boomy voice.

I looked over at Beth. She was sleeping on her back with her hair fanned out perfect. Not a single tangle, I bet.

I shoved back the rats in my hair. I remembered why I'd set the alarm. I had a plan. I was either going to kill Beth in her sleep and hope Mom wouldn't mind, or I was going to get up and take back the money Beth stole from the treasury.

I slipped out of the covers nice and quiet and tiptoed over. She had her mouth open just a tiny bit. Some kid at camp told me you could drown in one mouthful of water if you were asleep.

"STOP STARING AT ME, FREAK!" Beth yelled, rearing up.

I nearly jumped out of my flannels. "GOD, Beth! Shut up! You'll wake Mom-"

"I don't CARE! What the heck are you doing?" she grabbed my arm hard and pulled me toward her.

I tried to wrench away. She grabbed my collar and pulled. It tore right across.

"Look what you did!" I cried. "You ripped it. Mom is going to kill you. These are my new ones and they were eleven ninety-nine."

She shoved me away with both hands. "Get away from me, freak."

"No!" I said, coming back at her. "I want to know what you did with the treasury money. I swear, Beth-if you don't give it back right now, I am going to tell Mom! And where WERE you after school?"

Mom came to the doorway, the hall light framing her. "It's MIDNIGHT! What is going on in here?"

"Sorry, Mom." Beth said. "Esme is really worried about her Discovery Project so I was trying to get her mind off it. I told her this hilarious joke and the punch line was kind of loud. And then I was telling her how worried I was today when I couldn't find her after school."

"You couldn't find ME?" I sputtered, "You're the one who left Scouts early. I stayed there and waited for fifteen whole minutes!"

"Well," she said, shrugging, "I just left Scouts for a minute so I could call Mom about going home with Phil, and then when I got back I couldn't find you, I went to our special place hoping you'd be there, but you weren't."

"What special place?" I asked.

"The flagpole, silly, where else?" she said, coming over and smoothing over my covers. I swear, if they ever make a movie about the Garden of Eden, they can hire Beth to be the serpent's voice. "Esme, what did I tell you on your first day at St. Dominic's, when you were so hysterical about starting school?"

"I was not hysterical," I huffed.

"REMEMBER? I told you that if you ever got lost or scared, just go to the flagpole and wait. It's the highest point for blocks. You can see it from almost everywhere. I'll always come for you there." She looked up at Mom, "I was just sure she'd be there today."

Mom guided Beth back to her bed and pulled the covers over her. "Get to sleep, both of you." She said in her stern coach voice. And then it softened a little bit as she turned out the light. "Good night, girls, good dreams."

A little late for that, I thought.

"'Night, Mom." We said in unison.

I sat up to punch my pillow into shape, and it crackled. I reached underneath. My hand closed around a small cellophane bag. Ahhh, chocolate bridge mix. My favorite thing in the whole galaxy.

When Grandpa was alive, he used to hide candy for Beth and me under our pillows. After he died, it kept showing up. I guess Mom wanted us to feel that he was still with us. She must have snuck in after I fell asleep. I shoved a big handful into my mouth, not caring that I already brushed my teeth. Candy, especially chocolate, always made me feel better about everything.

"Could ya gimme a break?" Beth said, sitting up and glaring at me. Now that Mom was gone, she was back to using her regular mean voice. "You sound like you're chewing up concrete over there. I'm trying to sleep."

I bolted up and spit back at her, bits of chewed-up almond flying all over. "I don't know how you plan on sleeping when we are both about ready to be carted off to jail!"

"Don't be so dramatic, Esme. They're not going to send us to jail. I'll put the twenty dollars back next week, and well, you are going to have to tell Sister Lucille that you lost the rest-because I didn't take it."

"I did NOT lose our money! It was there last Friday when I counted it, and NO one, except you, had the key until today."

"Well, doesn't Sister Lucille have a key?"

"Of course she does! But she wouldn't take any out without telling me."

"Maybe she's trying to frame you." Beth suggested, trying to cover a yawn.

I turned my head and stared at Beth, "Swear to me-on Grandpa's grave-that you only took twenty dollars out."

She sighed and turned away, rolling onto her side, "I already told you. I'm not swearing on anybody's grave. That's so wack!"

I got out of bed and went over to the door and closed it so Mom wouldn't hear us. I grabbed Beth's backpack from the desk and ripped open the zipper.

Beth leapt up, grabbed it away from me, and knuckle-socked me hard in the arm.

I had to bite my lip to keep from yelling. I tried to rub the pain out. "Fine! Then look at me in the eye and tell me you only took twenty dollars-swear it on Dad's life."

She grabbed my shoulders, "I SAID I took twenty dollars. I needed it for a big library fine. I lost a very expensive book. I didn't want to ask Mom for it because she'd have a fit. You know how she's always talking about how broke we are. I'll put it back as soon as I can."

"But you can't just take money like that, Beth! And besides, how are you going to pay it back, anyhow?"

"It's not stealing, Esme." She sighed and put her hand on her hip. She tried to hook my hair around my ear but I whipped my head away. "Look," she said, "Mom pays our Scout dues, right?"

"So?" I said.

"Well, I'm just temporarily borrowing the money back that our mother paid the treasury so I can pay back the library without getting her all upset. I've got a plan to get the twenty back. So just chill, will you? The library gets what they want, Mom doesn't get her undies in a wad, and no one finds out-"

"So how are you going to get the twenty dollars?" I asked.

Beth ticked off on her fingers. "I'm selling my science project to this kid I know how goes to public school. He is a total moron and can't come up with his own. Then Holly is going to buy my old Rollerblades-and I'm doing some hair extensions for Kiera's cousin, who is fifteen."

"Why couldn't you just got the money from all those things first, then paid the library? Why did you have to take it out of the treasury?"

"Because the librarian sent a note to Mr. Constantino about it and it was totally embarrassing. I promised him I'd pay it off today. I couldn't let him down." She said, twirling a long lock of her white hair.

I changed the subject quick. I didn't want Beth to go off into Ga-Ga Land thinking about Mr. Constantino. Her eyes would turn into spinning hearts. "Think, Beth! Did you give the keys to anyone else? Like even for a sec?"

"Oh, sure! I passed them around during study hall and invited everyone to go help themselves to your precious little cash box."

"I'm serious! Did anyone go with you to the closet? Did you take Phil?"

"No! I made her stand outside and guard the door because Charles Evanson kept following me around with that disgusting lunchbox all day."

"So both of them knew you went in there?" I asked, aghast.

"Well, yeah! But they didn't have the keys, so they certainly couldn't have gotten to the cash."

"Where were the keys all afternoon before you gave them back to me?" I asked.

"Well, I didn't tape them to my stomach, that's for sure. I put them on my key ring so I wouldn't lose them."

Which dangles off the back of her backpack, along with her pep club bells and a tiny stuffed talking kangaroo. Anybody with a brain as big as an acorn could have gotten those keys. This didn't exactly narrow the search down.

It was a whole hour later before I finally fell into a deep sleep, my jaw propped open by a giant piece of chocolate bridge mix.

_Sorry this took forever to upload for you guys. I guess with being sick I didn't really feel like writing, although I was up inside and moving all day. I could've wrote, I guess, up in my room. But…I didn't really want too, I guess. For the oddest reason I felt like CLEANING. How weird is that? Very weird, knowing me. Oh, well, it's up now, so, it's up and done. Hopefully chapter seven gets wrote quicker! _

_Another little note for everyone: I think I'm going to do a sequel to this once it's finished, and it shall be called: Lucky Things That Have Happened To Me Since I Nearly Got Hit By Lightening. Hope you guys will read it!_


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